Project - Prometheus Ch. 43

"Well, it's not the best setup we have, but it's a far cry from the worst, either. The power source is easy enough. I'd just need the power cores from three frigates here and find a way to plug them in. The energy containment modules would be the same way, but it might be better to rip them apart and rebuild them to the specs we need. The dish though, that is going to be a problem," Taal'ani stated.

"Why is that?" Zuzanna asked.

"Because with the dish, it has to be specific to the generator in question. I can build one, but it is going to take an asston of time to get it built. Nevermind what is needed to test the damned thing too," Taal'ani huffed, knowing she'd be pulling an all nighter for sure.

"What about the program?" Kasumi wondered, thinking that would take up a lot of time as well.

"The program, I'm not too fussed about. I can delegate that to Jaesa and we should have a functioning program inside of four hours. Need to run some tests on it as well though, just to be sure there are no glitches or issues with it," Taal'ani finished.

"I'll figure out how to handle the power issues and work on the containment modules. If I finish with handling those before you're done with the dish, I'll lend a hand there too," Natalya offered.

"That will help immensely, Nats, thank you!" Taal'ani replied with a relieved grin.

"So, how are we going to move all of these parts out of here? We didn't bring any Sentries with us, so..." Korsa started before Zuzanna interrupted.

"I told you all before we left, I got this. Captain Min, what is your position?" Zuzanna asked, tapping her earbud in a comms call.

"Maybe five minutes away from your position, good doctor! So far, no one is giving us any problems and we have a wide berth to get there," Dagan told her over the comms.

"Calling in Dagan to give us a hand?" Kasumi asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"He and his men were idle and with the Sentries helping keep the peace in town, we figured it was best to have them aid us. Besides, he and his men are enjoying a newfound celebrity status among the town. I think few people would willingly accost him or his men," Zuzanna told them.

"Clever!" Kasumi agreed as she smirked at the doctor. "Make sure that people like Dagan are escorting it to the setup point, so if anyone attacks, they are the pariahs!"

"Doctor Walczak, we have arrived! If you would be so kind as to open the doors?" Dagan asked.

Zuzanna reached into her coat and pulled out a fob, which she entered a sequence into before pressing the button, which turned green. The blast doors opened up slowly and revealed Dagan and well over thirty of his men there, waiting with grav sleds. Some of the men even had a basic bionic apparatus, which would help them move heavy equipment without straining their bodies.

"All right, men, let's get those parts loaded!" Dagan barked, and they all snapped to, getting to work.

"We appreciate the help you are giving us, captain! Truly, we thank you for this!" Zuzanna told him, and the others were right behind her in their thanks.

"You can thank me by ensuring that Vincent doesn't get any more pomegranate!" Dagan huffed as he directed the men getting the crates.

"Oh? Why is that?" Korsa queried, curious about why the man was concerned about the treats his pet bird was getting.

"Let's just say that... I didn't get much in the manner of sleep because of... how it affected his... insides," Dagan admitted, looking embarrassed.

"How it... wait a sec! Are you telling me that pomegranate gave Vincent horrible gas?" Natalya asked, all while giggling out the side of her mouth.

"Got so bad that the captain chucked the poor bird out of his room and told him to sleep outside!" one of the men chuckled, as he remembered the bird squawking when Dagan had kicked him out.

"Get back to work!!" Dagan griped while cuffing the man upside the head. The man took the hit in stride and kept working, while he wore this look on his face that spelled out, 'Completely worth it!'

"Please check that whatever you decide to reward Vincent with will not give him any further... adverse reactions?" Dagan almost begged.

"Don't worry, captain! We will do that," Korsa replied with a slight snicker, finding the whole incident hilarious. She was certain that some men might well feed Vincent pomegranate, just to prank their captain. As long as he didn't find out who did it. Everyone was having themselves a good chuckle when Zuzanna got a call on her holocell. She answered it and the image of Daved was looking up at them.

"Doc Z! Glad I got ahold of you! What's the status of the shield generator?" the sheriff asked.

"That question is better directed at engineer Vostrikov," Zuzanna answered. Daved turned around until he spotted Natalya, who then gave him the rundown. He listened attentively at what they needed and what would be required to make it fully functional. He then smiled as he heard the news that the shield generator would come online.

"This is fantastic news! Are you and yours on the way to site?" he asked, referring to the site in town where the generator would be set up.

"Just finishing the packup now and should be on our way in a few minutes," Natalya told him.

"Copy that. I'm going to send a few people down to where the rest of the crew is working on the picket ships to collect what you need and bring it to you. We should have several blocks of the immediate area cleared by the time you arrive on site," Daved told them.

"Understood! We'll get there ASAP! Shield group, out!" Natalya stated as she cut the line.

"All right everyone, you heard the lady! Let's get moving!" Dagan barked, and everyone scrambled, eager to get a move on to protect the town.

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The moment the call with the shield group ended, Daved put in a call to the salvage group. Inari picked up on the third ring, glad to see the work happening in the background.

"Hey there, Daved. Need an update?" she asked.

"If you have one, then yeah, that would be great!" he replied.

"Lucky for you, we have one! Most of the picket ships are in much better shape than we anticipated. With a few tweaks to their systems, along with some proper patches and forgework, they should hold up in a firefight," Inari reported.

"This is spectacular news!! But I am guessing there is a downside to this?" Daved wondered.

"There is. The downside is the time required to get these ships combat ready. It will be at least a few days, three minimum, before they can be ready to fight. We could try going faster to make it happen. But if we do that, things could get sloppy and sloppily fixed up ships are more of a liability than a help in a fight," Inari told him.

"I get it. I just hope that Natalya can get that shield generator online soon. Make your time working that much more secure and peaceful," Daved told her.

"Yeah! Working on repairing a ship while trying to dodge an orbital bombardment isn't something on my to do list!" Inari agreed.

"Speaking of which, a group of deputies is on their way to collect a bunch of parts that Natalya needs to make the shield generator work," he told her. Daved then listed the parts and Inari sighed in relief, happy that none of the good ships would have to be dismantled.

"The parts she needs, she'll get them. I'll get a bunch of people to help me set them up and have them ready, so all the deputies have to do is grab them and go," she stated.

"Very good! I'll let you get back to work then," Daved stated as he ended the call. The man sighed as he sat back and rubbed at his temples, trying to will a headache away. He had a few minutes of peace before he received a visitor at the temporary office they were using. It was none other than his wife, Jenque, who looked hopeful at any sort of news her husband might have.

"Hey hon. Anything new going on?" she asked, putting on a smile for him.

"A few things, if you'll have a listen," he told her. Daved then outlined everything that was going on in town at the moment, along with the progress the teams were making on their respective job. She looked a little crestfallen at the speed at which it was being done, but she understood that quality wasn't done at lightspeed. You had to take your time to ensure that it was done right.

"It's not much, but it is a hell of a lot better than nothing. We may not have something up now, but hopefully we'll have at least a functioning shield generator within the next day or so! At least it's something I can take to the council, to help set their minds at ease," Jenque huffed, clearly not expecting things not being done quite yet.

"Well, provided all goes well, it will be functioning before the Confed fleet arrives. Lord knows we don't want another Bombardment happening here again," Daved said. He remembered the vids of what happened, with all the chaos, carnage, destruction and death.

"Yeah! Some folks here are old enough to remember when it happened. None of them want to see it happen again," Jenque shuddered, being on Prodosia when it was razed by the Confederacy. If there was one thing Jenque would not allow to happen while she drew breath, it was for the Confederacy to have their way with Prodosia at the end.

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"Bravo platoon, conducting a final sweep of grid zone seventeen-F," the platoon leader called out into his mic.

"Copy that, Bravo leader. Call in if anything changes," came the reply.

"Understood," the man stated, droning in a slight monotone.

"Final sweep before chow, sir?" one of the lieutenant's sergeants asked him.

"That's right, Cronkie. Keep your squad in formation while we conduct our sweep. I'm sure the boys and girls are anxious to get some chow. Especially since it's Italian night," the lieutenant told him.

"Some of the kids are willing to forgo the food, as long as they see some action," Cronkie told the man.

"You and me both know better, though. You remember that time when were trapped on that jungle pisshole, behind enemy lines, with no food or water?" the lieutenant asked his subordinate.

"Yeah. Salaagh III, if I remember right. Damned lizards didn't want to give the fucking thing up," the sergeant replied with a note of disdain in his voice.

"Yup! Would have pushed the lizards to extinction! If the damned UCW hadn't showed up to give them help," the lieutenant spat, still pissed that the Confederacy had lost that campaign.

"If only we had... wait. What's that?" the sergeant asked, as he looked out into the dying light. Seconds later, a round screamed in and hit him in the face, blowing his cheek to a fleshy pulp.

"AMBUSH!!! Get down!!" the lieutenant called out, commanding his squad to get to cover. They did as he ordered, following their training and finding what good cover they could. A few seconds later, they returned fire at the general direction of the incoming gunfire.

"Base, we are taking fire! Repeat, we are taking fire!! Send any available units to grid point seventeen-F! We need light over here now!!" the lieutenant screamed.

He fired off a few rounds, then checked on Cronkie, getting a good look at the man's wound. Miraculously, he was still alive, as the bullet that hit him hit only the meat of his cheek, with the exit wound only barely grazing the jawline. If they got the sergeant in to the clinic, then they could patch him up good as new.

"Base, we need assistance out here! Where are you?!?" the lieutenant screamed as he stayed down, with more rounds screaming in at them. Not even a minute later, gunships surged out and a few APCs rolled over on their position. The platoon cheered as their backup had arrived and they took down their assailants.

Since they were surrounded, many of the assailants hit their knees and started begging for mercy. For the moment, it was granted, but what to do with such attackers was entirely up to the Major. Being surrounded by superior firepower, the fight had since gone out of them as the Confed soldiers surveyed the damage done.

"Sergeant Yates, talk to me! What is the state of the platoon?" the lieutenant cried out.

"Two dead, five seriously wounded, and at least a dozen with moderate wounds. It's not bad, but it could have been a lot worse, were it not from Cronkie's warning," the sergeant replied, as he directed the platoon medic to help his fellow sergeant.

"Thank God for that! Who the fuck are these guys??" the lieutenant wondered, looking over at the group of prisoners that were being herded into a single group.

"Looks like savages to me! Heard about people like this roaming the surface of Prodosia! Superstitious bastards who don't know much else but fighting," commented one of the captains who walked up to survey the group of people.

"There are several such tribes wandering the surface of this world, but there are only of any merit that are worth noting. The Children of the Wolf and the Death Eagle. Since the garb of these people is black accented with white, I would say this group is the Death Eagle," Major Sawyer stated. He walked up imperiously to observe the group that scowled at them.

"So what? They attacked Confederate soldiers on land we have claimed as our own! They all die!" the captain bellowed.

"Belay that order. Strip their weapons, stand these people up, and escort them to the base. See that they are given food and water during their stay. I will not have them treated as savages when they are simply lost and must be shown a better way," the Major told ordered.

Some troops hesitated, unsure who to follow; the orders from the captain, who was citing their immutable and unbendable rules about combatants. Or should they follow what the Major was saying, since he was the law over the operation here.

"Look here, kid! You might be a Major, but the order I give is written in our laws! You can't just—" the captain got out before his head was blown off from a round fired out of the Major's sidearm. The veteran's body hit the ground with a thud and everyone then looked up at Robert Sawyer, noting the smoldering glare in his eyes.

"Does anyone else wish to tell me what I can and cannot do?" the man questioned.

Everyone present shook their heads, as they knew that Major Robert Sawyer could become a... temperamental man when his authority was questioned. The soldiers did as they were ordered, marching what remained of the Death Eagles to their base. Once they were inside, they were all given food and water, as the Major had ordered. The leader of this group walked with the Major and accompanied him to his private quarters.

"There. That is better, isn't it? Cherry?" the Major questioned, offering the man some fruit.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you being so fucking nice?" the Death Eagle leader demanded.

"Straight to business then? Very well. Sit and I will enlighten you about why I am bringing you and yours in, seeing you fed and looked after," the Major stated, gesturing to the seat opposite him. Seeing how the man had nothing to lose, he took a seat and waited.

"I understand that you and yours had an agreement with Sargol about becoming the supreme tribe on this world. How he was supposed to supply you with the weapons you required to utterly wipe out your enemies. A promise he clearly failed to deliver," Robert stated as he popped a cherry in his mouth.

"It wasn't that he didn't deliver. He gave us some damned good guns! We made good use of them too! Wiped out those who fought against us and put the screws to whoever opposed us!" the man exulted.

"Oh! Then... what went wrong? Did you not have enough ammunition or..." Robert began before he was cut off.

"No, nothing like that. It was those damnable Children of the Wolf and their new friends! Offworlders, who used some sort of magic to hurt us!" the man raved.

"Magic, you say? What did this magic look like?" Robert queried, thinking this was simply the ravings of an utter madman.

"It was mist-like, almost like the bastards called it out of nothing! We were attacking the Wolves and nearly had them too! But that damnable bastard shows up and tears through our best men lie they were paper dolls! Those women too!! I'll never forget how..." the man jittered, overcome with terror.

"Easy, my good man. Take your time. I wish to know about this but take a few moments to compose yourself if you must," Robert stated.

While Sargol's reports seemed almost crazy in comparison when he was speaking of Matthias, there were others who confirmed the man's abilities. Apparently, Matthias could channel something that was called the 'Aether' and it was something that few people could access. There were reports of the miraculous things that Matthias could do, which was why capturing the man was a priority.

He had yet to hear what the deal was with that from the ground team that had infiltrated the Shadow Dancers. They were apparently already on their way and would be here the next day. Communications contact was spotty, so he had opted to wait for their full report until they had come in. Robert then focused on the man in front of him and got his attention.

"Can you tell me what it looked like?" Robert asked.

"The man, big and brawny sort, it worked around him like a living thing! All that purple energy made him look like... like a god!!" the leader stated.

"Purple? His energy was purple?" Robert questioned.

"Yeah! But he wasn't the most evil looking of the lot! That redhead, hers was just as red as her hair! Made her eyes glow with it too! I swear, all five of them looked like gods... or devils..." the man blubbered, still fearful of this quintet.

"It all depends on your point of view, I suppose. If they're on your side, they would be seen as gods. If you're not... then, demons," Robert surmised. "I know this is difficult, but I need you to tell me everything."

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"The Major has been in with that man for over an hour! What is the man playing at?" one lieutenant questioned.

"He doesn't do things needlessly. There is always a plan. We just have to trust in it," the brunette told them. A few of the officers there rolled their eyes, as it was clear the woman was simping after the man. A few minutes later, Major Sawyer and the leader of the Death Eagles emerged, talking like they were old friends. Such a scene was odd and out of place to the rest of the officers, who looked at the pair with confusion.

"Be sure that you and yours are armed accordingly. Don't want to get yourselves killed needlessly," the Major laughed as the Death Eagle walked away with a grin.

"Sir, do you mind telling us what that was about?" one of the officers queried.

"I have just made the Death Eagles the first Confederate conscripts here on Prodosia. They will be getting access to the armory, so they have all the armor and weapons they need to begin our assault on the town of Tanith's Gully," Robert informed them.

"What?? Why??" another officer questioned before he clammed up, as his mind registered what Robert was telling him.

"So we can test the defenses of the town and not lose any of our own men and women in such a testing," Robert explained evenly. The one officer who questioned him looked down at the floor, as he failed to grasp the concept of conscripts in that sentence. Seeing the man suitably cowed put a smile on the major's face, as he continued.

"With them attacking the town, we can monitor where they are strong, where they are weak, and how to hit them accordingly. Armed with such knowledge will make our road to victory that much more assured," another officer piped up, seeing how clever it was.

"Indeed! Weapons and armor can be recovered or rebuilt with enough time and money. Human lives cannot. Better to use those who are... expendable. Then we move forward with our plan," Robert finished. The officers smiled and nodded, seeing how cunning and devious a tactic this was.